Ultrafast flash thermal conductance of molecular chains

Zhaohui Wang, Jeffrey A. Carter, Alexei Lagutchev, Kan Koh Yee, Nak Hyun Seong, David G. Cahilll, Dana D. Dlott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

At the level of individual molecules, familiar concepts of heat transport no longer apply. When large amounts of heat are transported through a molecule, a crucial process in molecular electronic devices, energy is carried by discrete molecular vibrational excitations. We studied heat transport through self-assembled monolayers of long-chain hydrocarbon molecules anchored to a gold substrate by ultrafast heating of the gold with a femtosecond laser pulse. When the heat reached the methyl groups at the chain ends, a nonlinear coherent vibrational spectroscopy technique detected the resulting thermally induced disorder. The flow of heat into the chains was limited by the interface conductance. The leading edge of the heat burst traveled ballistically along the chains at a velocity of 1 kilometer per second. The molecular conductance per chain was 50 picowatts per kelvin.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)787-790
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume317
Issue number5839
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 10 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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